Box Score
POCATELLO, Idaho - The Bengals took down Big Sky Conference leaders Montana State 63-55 inside Reed Gym Saturday afternoon. ISU improves to 6-4 in Big Sky Conference play and 11-8 overall while Montana State drops to 8-2 in the conference, 14-5 overall.
Idaho State was led by senior forward
Ashleigh Vella, who finished the game with a season-high 22 points. She collected seven rebounds and had three assists, two blocks and one steal in 34 minutes of play.
Senior guard
Kaela Oakes added 14 points to the total, nabbed a season-high five rebounds and had two assists.
Junior guard
Lindsey Reed had eight points, six of them coming from the three-point line. Junior guard
Kara Jenkins had five assists to go along with her six points.
The team shot 19-for-54 from the field (35.2 percent) and was 5-for-15 from behind the arc. The Bengals were 20-for-22 from the free throw line, a crucial stat as they were awarded the bonus shots late in the game. Montana State struggled at the charity line, shooting 8-for-14. MSU shot 33.3 percent for the game and just 29 percent in the first half.
Idaho State edged out Montana State in battle in the paint, out-rebounding their opponent 47 to 36 in the game. The Bengals scored eight second-chance points thanks in part to 13 offensive boards.
ISU used a fast-paced and aggressive offensive effort to jump out to a 17-point lead in the first half, the largest lead for the Bengals in the contest. Idaho State went on a 24-7 run starting at the 14:51 mark and held the Bobcats scoreless for nearly five minutes during that stretch. MSU cut the lead to 10 at the half as the Bengals finished the first 20 minutes of regulation with a 35-25 lead.
“I reminded the team at halftime that we were up by 10 at half last year too and we ended up losing that game,” ISU Head Coach
Seton Sobolewski said. “We just had to grind this one out. The team played very hard and did a nice job in the first half. The second half was a little rough. Montana State was a little off on their shooting but at the same time, I'd like to think we had something to do with that. They are a really good team and we were lucky to get out with a win but I think we earned it.”
Both squads traded buckets for most of the second half. The closest Montana State got to regaining the lead was at the 17:48 mark when MSU's Kalli Durham converted a three-point play.
MSU's loss creates a tie for first place in the conference between the Bobcats and Montana. Eastern Washington and Northern Colorado are one game behind with 6-3 records while ISU is now two games back.
The Bengals face another important home stand next week as ISU welcomes Northern Colorado and North Dakota to town. Idaho State dropped contests to both teams on the road at the beginning of the season. It will be NC's first trip back to Reed Gym after losing the Big Sky Championship final to the Bengals last season.
ISU faces the Bears Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. and North Dakota Saturday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.
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